Our View: Beware of bullies. They're online, always lurking

It used to be all you had to fear from a bully was a black eye, a fat lip and some bruises. The physical pain would diminish over time as would the mental scars if you stood up for yourself or one of your friends. It’s not that simple today.

It used to be all you had to fear from a bully was a black eye, a fat lip and some bruises. The physical pain would diminish over time as would the mental scars if you stood up for yourself or one of your friends.

It’s not that simple today.

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” may have been an appropriate adage 100, 50 or even 20 years ago, but in today’s Internet age threats, insults and cruel jokes never completely disappear. They’re always out there for someone to find — and for someone to add to.

Bullying — especially cyberbullying — has become a growing problem in and out of school.

However, it’s not just a problem for schoolchildren. Adults, too, are participants, using social media and newspaper websites to attack people who have different views.

Most of the damage happens to schoolchildren. The 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that, nationwide, 20 percent of students in grades 9–12 experienced bullying. The 2008–2009 School Crime Supplement by the National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Justice Statistics indicates that, nationwide, 28 percent of students in grades 6–12 experienced bullying.

Those numbers probably are low. Many cases of bullying are never reported.

Unlike the traditional playground bully, there’s almost no escaping a cyberbully. That person’s always there, lurking in the shadows of the Web ready to pounce on anyone he or she perceives as being weaker or different.

Often those bullies are anonymous, writing things they would never say face-to-face. Bullies feed off negative comments and gang up on whomever they decide should be their target of the day.

The words a cyberbully uses can be more painful than any “sticks and stones” and can lead to tragic outcomes.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 10 and 24, according to the CDC. About 4,600 young people a year kill themselves. And, for every suicide, there are at least 100 suicide attempts. More than 14 percent of high school students have considered suicide — 7 percent have attempted it.

Victims of bullying are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide, according to studies by Yale University.

The death of a 12-year-old Florida girl, Rebecca Ann Sedwick, made national headlines this month when she jumped to her death. She had been a victim of cyberbullying for more than a year.

In a review of news articles, The Associated Press found about a dozen suicides in the U.S. since October 2010 that were attributed at least in part to cyberbullying. The real number probably is twice that.

Parents still play the most important role whether their child is a victim or a perpetrator. They need to teach their children how to responsibly use social media. There’s so much out there that it’s difficult for most parents to keep track. They may know about Facebook and Twitter, but what about ask.fm, Voxer, Kik and Reddit?

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Parents need to communicate with their children and be aware of signs that something’s not right: depression, anxiety, loss of appetite, crying and not wanting to go to school.

Parents also need to set a good example. The Golden Rule — treat others as you would want to be treated — applies.

Bullying has become a serious problem that requires much more conversation.